The temporary parking lot to be built on Winchester Street, just outside the TDS center, was originally proposed to be a 30,000-square-foot academic building for Antioch University, a private graduate school. However, plans for the building were brought to a halt due to budgetary conflicts and unexpected proposals.
Keene State President Melinda Treadwell described the initial interest in an academic building for Antioch, stating, “As we talked it through it made a lot of sense, we are very much like some of the other institutions they’re working with.”
Treadwell continued, “We were going to do some specialized spaces for KSC, and our sprung floor could help with their dance therapy intensive.”
With the original idea for a 30,000-square-foot building in mind, the proposal Keene State was presented with by Antioch was met with some hesitation.
“Antioch scoped an 80,000-square-foot building – nearly 40 million dollars; when the cost estimate came in — there’s just no way we can invest that money,” said Treadwell.
The response to the proposal was telling Antioch to go back to the original plan.
Treadwell continued, “What I am struggling with is Antioch’s planning is taking longer than expected. We’re going to need to move to a firm agreement very quickly.”
Treadwell described the future of a potential Keene State campus Antioch location, “From a revenue perspective, if we can meet their needs it’s a better move to renovate a building than for us to lease land and let Antioch develop a new building.”
Nathalie Houder, vice president of finance and administration, has been handling the partnership negotiations.
Houder said, “We have been working with them; we have had constant communication but unfortunately they let us know just recently that they wouldn’t be able to come up with the financing to build the building that they had hoped for on that spot.”
“It would provide a potential additional revenue stream for Keene State,” she added.
Although the plan for an academic building has ceased, Houder says the relationship between Keene State and Antioch is only just beginning.
“They’ve been a great partner, and what we are headed for now is to see if there is an opportunity for us to continue this partnership and find space for them within the Keene campus,” Houder said.
With hopes for an additional educational path on campus, Houder both assured Keene State’s community that they remain the focus, and explained the opportunities to come from a partnership with Antioch.
“Keeping what we need for our students as our priority, seeing whether we can accommodate Antioch similarly to what we did with River Valley Community College. Having River Valley as a community college option, Keene State as a four-year institution, and Antioch as a graduate program all on one campus would be such a great opportunity,” Houder said. “It creates a sort of pipeline of education.”
Keene State senior Katie Smith voiced frustration with the choice of a temporary parking lot as opposed to other, more sustainable uses of the land.
“I think a temporary parking lot is just not a good use of the land, once things fell through we should have planned for a more long-term or sustainable use of the space out there,” Smith said.
Another student, junior Teague Smallidge, voiced a similar opinion. “I don’t really understand why they are taking a nice spot so close to town and turning it into a parking lot. They could turn it into a park or literally anything the community could use long-term.”
Parker Bartlett can be contacted at
pbartlett@kscequinox.com
